Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-07-14
THE DRIVEN WELL PATENT
CATCHES UNION COUNTY
FARMERS.
Sad Sequel to the Bohemian Oats
Swindle.

REDWOOD, o., July THE Su-
preme court of the United States hav-
ing decided in favor of the drive-well
patent, a horde of leeches has been let
loose in Ohio, and with blood-sucking
Epr0clivities they are demanding $3.50
Of every person using drive WE'LL
There are $1,000 of these drive wells in
Ohio. mostly in the central aud north
ern parts, and this county (Unionl has
5000 of them. This township CLAY
bourne) has 1900, and in Redwood
there are now 900, the Town Council
having put down l40 for tire purposes.
Hon. George B. Okey and w. J. Clark,
Esq, of Columbus, attorneys of the
Eastern owners of the patent, have a
legal notice in the Redwood Gazette Of
this week that they will be here on
Saturday, the 9Th, to settle with the in
fringers and collect $3.50 from each
person having driven well, and that
all persons not paying royalty by July
Goth, will be sued in the United States
Circuit court at Columbus. Hon. ]. L.
Cameron, member of the Legislature,
and r. L. Woodburn, of Marysville,
represent the patentee owners in all
parts of this county save this township.
Suits will also be brought at Cleveland
and Cincinnati if the royalties are not
paid by July 20. In the Columbus
district there are said to be So, 900 wells,
20, 600 in the Cincinnati and $4,000 in
the Cleveland. G. w. Huffman and
C. w. Baker. of Redwood, put down
an immense number in this county,
but the firm of Rocky, Twigg Il Link,
Of Columbus, are said to have put down
45, 900 of these wells. asa
The people are up in arms and swear
they will never pay cent and Will mob
any man who comes here to collect this
blood money. This is the last straw
on the peoples back and the feeling is
one of intense excitement. The people
believe that the courts in expounding
the patent and other laws always ally
themselves to the interests of monopo-
lies.
Union county has suffered in the past
few years to the amount of nearly half
million dollars by court decisions.-
First, over score of farmers lost their
big farms along Darby creek by the
Duncan Macarthur will case in the
United States Supreme court, and were
turned out homeless and penniless.-
Then came the Bohemian oats racket,
by which the good people of Union
county were bled out of SS7, 900, and
Judge John A. Price, of the Common
Pleas court at Marysville, decided last
week that these oats notes had all to be
paid. Hence, this driven well rumpus,
coming right on now, has raised the
very sheol, and the people are organic
ing to fight to the last ditch, and, if
need be, by muskets and guns.
Among the victims in Union county
are Col. w. L. Curry, candidate for the
Republican nomination for State Audi
tor; Hon. J. L. Cameron, Representa-
tive in the Legislature; Capt. w. III.
Robb, chairman of the Republican
county committee; Hon. John HI.
Shearer, of the Marysville Tribune;
Hon. Hylas Sabine, ex-State Railroad
Commissioner, and Hon. James Fuller
ton, ex-Member of the State Board of
Public Works. This scheme beats the
Bohemian oats racket badly, and will
pull million dollars out of the Ohio
people for the assignees of the patent,
and cost as much more for lawyer fees
and court costs.
James Mills, a farmer near Marys-
vile, was one of the big granger pool
that fought the case and took it to the
United States Supreme court. He has
just paid his share, which was $3.50,
and his one thousand colleagues in the
pool scattered over Ohio have to do
likewise, while the other $4,000 suckers
will be bled $3.50 each or be yanked
into the Federal courts. One of the
F.. r L. 4
ness is the appearance in the fray of a
lot of seven by nine village lawyers,
who are giving the we'll owners most
unfortunate advice.
The patent expired Jan. "a, 1856, and
the infringement suits will be for wells
driven before that time.